


let's fall in love (what else is there to say?)

by xslytherclawx



Series: Chanukah 5779 [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fluff, Gay Charlie Weasley, Hanukkah, Jewish Character, Jewish Holidays, Jewish Rolf Scamander, LGBT Character, M/M, Past Relationship(s), Pre-Canon, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-09-02 01:43:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16777129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xslytherclawx/pseuds/xslytherclawx
Summary: Rolf invites Charlie to celebrate Chanukah with him.





	let's fall in love (what else is there to say?)

**Author's Note:**

> While this takes place in the same universe as [walk up & say "hello hey how you been"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16389617), and is technically a prequel, it's set in 1990 - so a good 17 years before that fic.
> 
> * * *
> 
> This is technically Ravenclaw AU-compliant, but you don't have to read that to understand this - though there are some mentions of the Ravenclaw AU cast and where they are in 1990.
> 
> * * *
> 
> Title is from the Two Tongues song "Barcelona"

“Okay,” Rolf said, sitting down at the Gryffindor table across from Charlie.

“Morning,” Charlie said. “What’s up?”

“I know we haven’t been together very long, and we’ve just gone on the one date…” Rolf rubbed at the back of his neck, and Charlie couldn’t help but think he was adorable. It wasn’t fair, really.

“I’m listening, Rolf,” Charlie said with as encouraging a smile as he could muster (and, if he did say so himself, being an older brother  _ and _ having shared a dormitory with Ben Copper for over six years made his encouraging smile  _ very _ effective).

“Chanukah starts in two weeks, and I wondered if you’d like to celebrate with me. I won’t be able to go home with my family, which is fine, because we always have a nice big family Shabbat dinner whenever Chanukah falls during the school year. But I celebrate here.”

“I’d love to – celebrate with you,” Charlie said. “The only thing is, I’ve got no idea about Chanukah, so you’ll have to explain it all to me.”

Rolf grinned. “Oh, that won’t be a problem. Trust me. And it’s nothing very big. Pretty much all of the Jewish students get together in the Room of Requirement and get the House Elves to make latkes and we all, I think, have our own chanukiot – er, menorahs? The – candelabras that we use to help celebrate. Not that there are very many of us, here. Jewish students, I mean. Most are either Muggleborn or related to me.”

“Really?” Charlie asked.

“Well, at Hogwarts, anyway. I think a lot of Jewish witches and wizards send their kids to  _ Jewish _ wizarding schools. And there are some – in America and Israel, at least.”

“I thought Ilvermorny was in America,” Charlie said.

“It is,” Rolf said. “But it’s not the only wizarding school there. America is  _ gigantic. _ Truly. I think – there are at least – seven or eight of them. Most of them aren’t that big, and Ilvermorny is the most prestigious – that’s where my Gran and her sister went, but my rabbi’s husband went to some small school in Pennsylvania, and  _ he’s _ a Muggleborn.”

“Oh,” Charlie said.

“But that’s a common misconception,” Rolf said. “Britain is sort of – unique, with Hogwarts. But there is absolutely a Jewish wizarding school in America. My rabbi – knows some of the rabbis and teachers there.”

Charlie wasn’t quite sure how to respond to that, so he reached across the table and clasped Rolf’s hand. “When is Chanukah?

“Oh!” Rolf said. “Well, it starts the eleventh of December, this year, and runs eight days through the eighteenth! And we – don’t just light candles. We eat latkes – those are potato pancakes – and play games and spend time together and it’s really lovely.”

“It sounds wonderful. Am I – supposed to bring a gift?”

“Oh, no, no,” Rolf said. “That’s mostly from parents to children, and even then it’s a recent tradition. You don’t need to worry about that. Your company will be more than enough. Trust me.” He gave Charlie a very charming smile, and Charlie could have sworn he felt his heart skip a beat.

* * *

He buried his head in his hands. Barnaby patted his shoulder awkwardly. Ben and Rowan both eyed him sympathetically, but neither made any move to comfort him, likely because they didn’t know how.

“He’s so  _ cute,” _ Charlie whined. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Don’t ask me,” Ben said. “I never know what to do.”

“I don’t understand why you’re so confused,” Rowan said. “It’s clear that, by offering to share his family traditions with you, he’s trying to show you that he cares for you – and it’s obvious that you care for him.”

Well, that was just typical Rowan, wasn’t it? A lesser man would mention something about Rowan’s feelings for Bill (which Charlie didn’t think had ever fully been resolved), but then half the school, Charlie knew, had fancied Bill at one point or another – the other half had fancied Penny Haywood. It wasn’t as if Charlie could blame them; both Bill and Penny were lovely, and he could only hope that he was half the big brother that Bill was (Percy, though, made him doubt himself in this sometimes).

“I think it’d be nice to get him a gift, even if he says you haven’t got to,” Barnaby said. “You’ve got a bit of time. There’s a Hogsmeade trip this weekend.”

How in the world was  _ Barnaby _ making the most sense? “You’ve got a point,” Charlie said. “But then  _ what _ do I get him for a gift?”

“Ask his friends what sorts of sweets he likes,” Barnaby said. “Sweets are always the key to someone’s heart, and they’re not really a very  _ serious _ gift, are they?”

“He might not like sweets at all,” Rowan said.

“Then we’ll know he’s not worth any more of Charlie’s time,” Barnaby said. “What sort of monster doesn’t like  _ sweets?” _

* * *

After much careful prying (really just catching Penny after Charms and asking her – and not getting Tonks involved because Charlie wasn’t sure that he could trust her to keep her mouth shut), Charlie sent his friends on to Honeydukes to get some chocolate cauldrons and pink coconut ice for Rolf, because he couldn’t think of a way to sneak off on their date to do so without being glaringly obvious.

Fortunately, Rowan took this as seriously as Rowan ever took anything, and had brought Ben along for good measure. He really hoped Rowan stayed within the budget he’d laid out, because his parents would demand to know  _ why _ if he asked for more money, and he wasn’t sure what he’d say. His parents didn’t know he was gay, and he wasn’t sure that he wanted to inflict Molly Weasley on someone as sweet and bubbly as Rolf.

At least he’d asked Rowan and Ben. If he’d asked Tonks and Tulip, they would have bankrupted him. Rowan and Ben could be generally trusted to stay within a reasonable budget, and Ben would hopefully counter some of Rowan’s more…  _ tasteless _ ideas.

He and Rolf did a bit of window shopping, and as they looked around Splintwitches Sporting Needs, Rolf’s hand brushed Charlie’s. Charlie glanced at him out of the corner of his eye – after all, there was always the chance that it had been accidental – to see Rolf blushing. So Charlie did his best to not look visibly nervous as he laced his fingers through Rolf’s.

This turned out to be just the right move, because Rolf absolutely  _ beamed _ and squeezed his hand.

They held hands the rest of the afternoon as they looked through several other stores (and Charlie purchased some dungbombs and hiccough sweets for Fred and George at Zonko’s).

“For the twins,” Charlie said. “They’ll likely just use them on Percy.”

“I always wondered what it’d be like to have a younger sibling,” Rolf said. “I know I was a right terror to Gina. And – my Uncle Max always tells stories about how he used to torment my dad, which is kind of remarkable when you consider that my dad’s thirteen years older than my uncle. And then – one of my uncle’s best friends is my rabbi’s younger sister, and apparently she used to make his life miserable. So. Maybe I don’t want a younger sibling, now that I think on it.”

Charlie smiled. “It’s really not so bad as all that. It can get annoying, sometimes, but, well, you’ve got a sister. I’m sure as much of a terror as you might’ve been to her, you wouldn’t have tolerated anyone else treating her that way.”

“Oh, absolutely not,” Rolf said. “Not that anyone ever really tried. I think all of us Scamanders are at least mildly annoying, but beyond that, Gina’s lovely, really. Not that I’d ever admit that to her  _ face, _ but…”

“I don’t think you’re annoying,” Charlie said.

Rolf grinned. “You’re one of the only ones, then. I know I talk too much, sometimes, and go off on tangents about things that aren’t really very relevant, but everyone in my family’s the same way, so while it makes family dinners interesting, we’re all quite used to it.”

They walked into Tomes and Scrolls, and Rolf stopped still at one of the displays.

“Something interesting?” Charlie asked.

“That’s my uncle’s newest book,” Rolf said, pointing to a volume entitled  _ The Passions of the Potioneer _ with his free hand. “Not his best title. I bet his husband came up with it.”

Charlie looked at the cover, which featured two attractive young men entwined in an embrace. “Is this – a romance novel?” he asked. He’d heard about romance novels from Rowan, who seemed to know everything about everything, but he’d never actually read one.

Rolf blushed. “Yeah. I dunno. I don’t read them, not his, anyway, because how much of that is the sort of thing he’s done with his husband?” He pulled a face. “It’s one thing to know your uncles have sex, it’s another to read about it.”

Charlie examined the book, and the author’s name caught his eye. “It doesn’t say Scamander.”

“Yeah, I asked him about that once. Uncle Max said he didn’t want to profit off of the family name. I think everyone was quietly relieved, to be honest. Not that Granddad and Gran don’t support him, or my parents, for that matter, but – I also don’t think any of them wanted to be asked if they were related to the person pioneering gay wizarding romance novels. It’s not quite a  _ secret;  _ he doesn’t hide that it’s him, and nor does anyone else, but – he writes under a penname.”

Charlie looked at the penname.  _ M. Patroclus. _

“It’s his first initial and his middle name,” Rolf said. “God, though, could you imagine if I tried that? What; it’d be R. André? No one would buy anything with that name.”

“André?” Charlie asked. “That’s French, isn’t it?”

Rolf nodded. “Mmhm! It’s my Grand-père’s name. He’s still around, and Ema and Dad had a row about it, to be honest. Because – Dad’s Ashkenazi, which just means in the Middle Ages, his side of the family – well, the Jewish side – was exiled in Europe. And in Ashkenazi tradition, it’s bad luck to name someone for a living person, because it was seen as tempting the angels of death. And Mum’s family stayed in the Middle East, and they don’t have that tradition, and she’d always said she’d name her son for her father, so. There was a row, I’m told, and Ema won.”

Charlie tried to process that. He hadn’t even known there were  _ different _ kinds of Jewish traditions. “What’s your grandfather’s name?” he asked instead. “You said he was a Magizoologist, too?”

“Oh, it’s André Bendayan. His influence is mostly francophone and Israeli. But some of his work has been translated decently into English. I still prefer the original, personally, but I’m aware that not everyone speaks French.”

“You speak French?” Charlie asked.

“English, French, Hebrew, and enough Yiddish that Uncle Max can’t use it to talk about adult things in front of me.”

That was… a lot. Charlie wasn’t even sure he’d mastered English. “Did he find that out the hard way?”

Rolf grinned. “Oh, yeah. I don’t even remember what he was talking about, to be honest. I don’t think it was sexual, just – maybe war-related? I wasn’t very old, I don’t think. He was trying to talk to Dad about it, and there was a word I didn’t understand, so like my parents always taught me, I asked what it meant. In Yiddish.”

“You speak four languages.”

“I mix them all together all the time,” Rolf said. “Except English, mostly. But I think it should be enough to get by as a Magizoologist.”

“That’s – really cool, Rolf,” Charlie said.

“Thanks!” Rolf said. “I think it’s really cool how fantastic you are at Quidditch. I’m not much use on a broom, personally, but I do like to watch.”

Charlie felt himself blush. “You’ve been watching my games?”

“Of course,” Rolf said. He glanced back at the book. “Did you want to buy this, or did you want to go to the Three Broomsticks?”

“I – it’s a bit weird that it’s your  _ uncle,” _ Charlie said. “Let’s just go get a Butterbeer.”

“I think every weekend should be a Hogsmeade weekend. Or the school should buy casks of Butterbeer from the Three Broomsticks. Or their supplier. Do you think they make it there, or do they have a supplier? Because it’s different from the Butterbeer you can get in London, just slightly.”

* * *

Charlie had had his gift for Rolf in his bag all day, and was on the edge of his seat by dinner. He was grateful that Rowan and Ben had stayed within the budget he’d laid out – no need to ask his parents for extra spending money – and it was best to avoid the common room, anyway, because Fred and George had made  _ strategic _ use of their dungbombs.

Rolf slid into the spot next to him, and talked his ear off about the history of Chanukah, his family’s traditions, how lovely the snow was at Hogwarts (as opposed to London, where, he said, the snow turned to grey slush as quickly as it fell – Charlie had never seen much of London in the snow, so he didn’t know), while Charlie listened contentedly.

Rolf was too adorable, really, and Charlie didn’t know how someone so adorable was so interested in  _ him. _ They even had common interests, and Charlie knew how excited he could get about creatures, especially dragons, and it was refreshing to have someone listen intently and actually  _ participate _ in the discussion instead of watching his friends look resigned at best as he went on about the training program in Romania that Hagrid had pointed him toward.

And when Rolf got to talking about something he was passionate about, he became more animated, his eyes lit up, and Charlie found himself absolutely enchanted. 

Rolf was lit up now, and Charlie reached his hand down to lace his fingers through Rolf’s. Rolf stopped talking for only half a second, and then he was smiling even more broadly than before.

“And I think, you know, with the snow, it just makes Chanukah feel all the more  _ special, _ you know? I’m sure you feel the same way about Christmas. There’s something magical about snow. I wonder if there have been any studies on the effect of snow.”

* * *

They walked up to the Room of Requirement together, hand-in-hand, as Rolf now discussed the magical roots of popular Jewish folk tales.

“It’s laid out in the text, clear as day, but naturally Muggles won’t see it, not since the Statute, but there’s actually a very interesting book about the cohabitation of Magical and Muggle Jews prior to the Statute. Because we were all lumped together and sort of – well,  _ definitely _ oppressed, so we stayed with other Jews. But you won’t find it in Muggle Jewish history, because they just take it for granted that it was symbolistic. Rabbi Goldstein’s husband, Mr. Sokolovsky, is a Muggleborn, as I’ve said before, and he had no idea how much of the magic laid out in the Torah and Talmud and even folk tales and fiction actually  _ exists  _ until he met Rabbi Goldstein.”

“That’s – really interesting, actually,” Charlie said.

“I actually don’t usually call Rabbi Goldstein  _ Rabbi Goldstein, _ nor his husband by his last name, because I’ve known him since I was born, really. Because he’s Uncle Max’s best friend – well, one of them, but definitely his oldest friend, I think – but I think it’s sort of the respectful thing to do when I’m not talking to him? My parents really like him, because he’s familiar with both of their families and traditions so he’s actually the rabbi I studied under for my bar mitzvah, which was  _ strange,  _ because he really is like an uncle to me. But you don’t know him at all, so I dunno why I told you that.”

“Well,” Charlie said, “you know all about my family. You might not have six siblings, but you’ve clearly got a large extended family.”

“Oh, yeah, definitely,” Rolf said. “I see Rabbi Goldstein’s kids – and even his nephew – far more often than I see my own cousins, but then they live just in Finchley and not in Jerusalem.”

They’d reached the tapestry, and Charlie was surprised to see a door in the middle of what was normally a blank stretch of wall. “Oh, we’re not the first,” Rolf said. “That’s good. I’m always a bit uncomfortable being the first, you know? There’s just so much pressure.”

Rolf opened the door and led Charlie through. The room was about the size of Gryffindor common room, although it had blue and white banners, and a long table laid out with a blue tablecloth. There were multiple overstuffed armchairs and sofas – all also blue.

“Oh, I should’ve known it was you,” Rolf said to the only other occupant – a girl who looked to be in about third year, with light brown hair pulled into a ponytail.

She smiled. “I had to make it festive. It wasn’t last year.” Her gaze flitted to Charlie. “Who’s your friend?”

“Boyfriend,” Rolf corrected, and Charlie supposed that he was right. Boyfriend. He had a  _ boyfriend_, who was kind and clever and thoughtful and Charlie was so happy he thought he might burst. “This is Charlie. He’s in seventh year, and this is his first Chanukah.”

“Welcome!” the girl said. “I’m Esther. Margolies. I’m in third year, in Ravenclaw.”

“And my third cousin,” Rolf said.

“That, too,” Esther said.

“It’s nice to meet you, Esther,” Charlie said.

“Like I said,” Rolf said, “however it worked out at Hogwarts, we’re pretty much all related at this point, except for the Muggleborns.”

“That’s true,” Esther said. “Except I’m a bit special – we’re related on the Scamander side. My Grandad is Newt’s cousin, and he married a Jewish Muggle – and they had my mum!”

“Well,” Charlie said, “I’m a Pureblood, so I understand the whole ‘everyone’s interrelated’ thing. Not that my parents ever cared about that; it was just happenstance for them that they were both Purebloods. I think Dad’s greatest wish is that one of us marries an outright Muggle.”

“Really?” Rolf asked, pulling an elaborate bronze candelabra out of his bag and setting it on the table. Had he been carrying that the whole time? He pulled out a box of candles and set two in place.

“He’s a bit obsessed with Muggle things. Wants to know how it all works. None of us have got the foggiest, of course.”

“Well,” Rolf said. “I can’t be of much help there. The only Muggleborn in my family was my Grand-mère, and she died a few years before my parents even met. Uncle Max’s husband’s a Pureblood. I suppose there’s Mr. Sokolovsky. I dunno. My family’s been a bit lucky, because Gran was American, and my mum’s Israeli – although she was born in Egypt – so we’ve historically had decent luck not intermarrying. Well, except Granddad’s family’s Purebloods. And I mean, I haven’t asked, but there’s probably some intermarrying there.”

“Probably,” Charlie agreed. 

* * *

The other students trickled in, typically in small groups, but by the time that one of them – a seventh year Ravenclaw Charlie recognized as Emily Shapiro, their Head Girl – announced that it was time to light their candles, Charlie didn’t think there were many more than a dozen students in the room (and surely some, like him, weren’t Jewish and had simply come with their friends – or boyfriends or girlfriends).

Rolf cast a spell that sounded guttural to Charlie – certainly it wasn’t  _ incendio _ – but it lit the candle in the middle at once. 

Emily started singing a song, and Rolf paused only afterward to whisper in Charlie’s ear, “Those were the blessings, which we say before lighting the candles.”

Charlie wanted to say that one of the candles was already lit, but Rolf then used the candle in the middle to light the candle on the far right before replacing the middle candle in its spot.

Once all of the candles were lit, Emily clapped her hands. “I think it’s time to eat! And remember, since it’s late, when you go back to your dorms, please try not to go alone! The castle likes to change around even more at night!”

Rolf piled a plate high with latkes and applesauce, and then took Charlie by the hand and led him to one of the sofas. “So what did you think?” He tilted his head slightly to the side as he asked the question, and Charlie couldn’t believe how adorable he was.

“I loved it,” Charlie said, “but what was that spell? It wasn’t  _ incendio.” _

“Oh, no,” Rolf said. “It’s an Aramaic spell. We have some spells that we’re supposed to use for certain things, and we’re really supposed to either light the candles with either a match or the Aramaic spell.” He leaned in close to add in a stage whisper, “My mum taught me how to say it the Israeli way, so I sort of have the best pronunciation.”

“You speak  _ Aramaic?” _ Charlie asked.

“No, no, no,” Rolf said with a laugh.  _ “Definitely _ not. We only really use it for certain spells or liturgy, but my Ema’s pronunciation is flawless.” He held out the plate to Charlie. “Would you like one?”

“I’m still a bit full from dinner,” Charlie said, and he felt horribly guilty about it.

Rolf smiled warmly and squeezed his hand. “That’s fine; just thought I’d offer instead of just going for it and eating this entire plate on my own.”

“Merlin, you’re really cute,” Charlie said.

Rolf actually met his gaze then, and even in the candlelight, Charlie could tell that he was blushing. “You think I’m cute?” he asked, holding Charlie’s gaze, and oh how had Charlie never noticed what a beautiful dark brown his eyes were before?

“I-I, yeah, of course,” Charlie said.

“Well,” Rolf said, “I think  _ you’re _ really cute, and I’ve been dying for you to kiss me.”

Oh.  _ Kiss _ him. It wasn’t as if Charlie had never kissed a boy before; he and Barnaby had done a fair bit more than that when they’d dated in fifth year, but being with Barnaby had been nothing like this. Rolf was clever and charming and engaging and  _ adorable. _ It made Charlie feel nervous. He’d barely been with Rolf for a month, and they  _ hadn’t _ kissed yet, and he was already certain that he liked Rolf more than he’d ever liked anyone else before.

“I-is that… something you’d like to do?” Rolf asked, and Charlie realised he hadn’t kissed him yet. What’s more, Rolf wasn’t looking him in the eye anymore, although… come to think of it, he didn’t think Rolf typically looked  _ anyone _ in the eye.

“Yes, absolutely!” Charlie said all in a rush.

“I was going to – surprise you. For your birthday tomorrow. But – if you’d like to kiss now, I certainly wouldn’t be opposed. I’ve still got a birthday gift for you, anyway.”

“Oh,” Charlie said. Rolf had gotten him a  _ birthday present? _ What had he done to deserve such a lovely boyfriend? “Honestly, now that you’ve mentioned it, I’m not sure I’d – be able to focus in class all day tomorrow knowing that I could’ve kissed you, but didn’t.”

Rolf hummed and his gaze flitted to Charlie’s lips. “That  _ would _ be a terrible shame.” He scooted closer, so that their thighs were touching. “Don’t want you being distracted.”

Charlie brushed the back of his hand across Rolf’s cheek, leaned in, and kissed him. Rolf’s lips were soft, and he wasted no time at all in parting them and kissing Charlie back. Charlie buried his hand in Rolf’s hair, which was coarse and curly and absolutely lovely, and kissed him until he needed to pull away for air.

“Wow,” Rolf said, licking his lips. “That was – amazing. You’re amazing.”

“I… I  _ really  _ like you, Rolf,” Charlie said.

Rolf grinned. “I  _ really _ like you, too, Charlie.”

“Happy Chanukah. I, er, hope you don’t mind, but I did sort of – get you something.”

“Oh?” Rolf asked. His eyes were sparkling and his cheeks were tinged with pink. 

“Yeah,” Charlie said. He got the sweets out of his bag – still in the Honeydukes gift bag – and passed it to Rolf.

Rolf opened the bag and looked inside. “Oh, Charlie, you  _ didn’t. _ How did you know these were my favourites?”

“I asked Penny Haywood.”

“I owe her a thank you, I think,” Rolf said. His gaze flitted to Charlie’s lips. “And thank you, Charlie. I have the most amazing boyfriend in the world.” 

Charlie was about to protest – because, really,  _ Rolf _ was the wonderful one, here, but then Rolf leaned in to kiss him again.

Charlie could definitely get used to this.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll write their first date eventually
> 
> * * *
> 
> [tumblr](http://xslytherclawx.tumblr.com)


End file.
